A Modern Woman's Perspective On The Kingdom of God on Earth

August 20, 2013

What A Difference A Week Makes

It's been a little over a week since I wrote my post on the State of Egypt from a Christian's Perspective. And look what the headlines are revealing today! It's hard to know how much to believe, but when there is a running theme of violence and death throughout the various news reports, one must give the accounts credibility.
Last week, I gave you a report from Ramez Attalah, the General Director of Egypt's Bible Society. He reported that most of the violence was coming from the pro-Morsi elements, as the Muslim Brotherhood followers fought to keep their foothold in the new democracy. He went on to say that " "Most Egyptians, despite their disdain for the MB, oppose Egypt turning into a police—or worse, army—state and have been putting much pressure on security forces to be restrained in their response to the MB agitators. Most of us yearn for a civil state run democratically."

So how does he feel now that the Muslim Brotherhood has burned churches and some of the Bible Society's stores? How does he feel when he sees violence against the Egyptian Christians escalating? "We Christians realize that we will have to pay a price for the freedom we have recently acquired. If this is the price, we are willing to pay it." But he goes on to confidently declare that Bible Society stores will be reconstructed and they will not be deterred from selling their Bibles. He also stated that the Egyptian Army has pledged to protect churches and help provide government compensation for destroyed church property.
And it certainly seems that the Egyptian Army is willing to stand firm in facing down the violent protests. Last week we saw more than 750 people killed in four days of violence after the military and police launched a blistering crackdown on Islamist protest camps, which sparked international condemnation.
The military seems to have its work cut out for it as it struggles to restore peace to the ravaged country. Trying to find that balance between Brotherhood supporters who boldly target Egyptian Christians, and self-styled "vigilantes" who oppose the hard-line Islamists, has led to an unprecedented level of civil unrest, nightly curfews, and a crackdown on protestors. It has left the country severely divided, but the arrest of top Brotherhood and Islamist leaders shows that the Egyptian military is steadfast in its goal to restore order.
But the citizens of Egypt are not the only ones divided over this situation. The European Union is split on its reaction. EU leaders have promised to review ties with Egypt's army and interim government unless the bloodshed ends. These diplomats have called for emergency talks to discuss the situation in Egypt and future "EU action". Other nations have condemned violence on both sides, while especially describing attacks on churches as "unacceptable". But not all countries are as critical of the military crackdown. Both Saudi Arabia and Jordan have said they back Egypt in its fight against "terrorism", which seems to coincide with a good portion of the Egyptian populace, who label the MB as "terrorists."
According to a report by the BBC over the weekend, the head of Egypt's armed forces has said that his message to the supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi is that "there is room for everyone". General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi urged them to help "rebuild the democratic path" and "integrate in the political process". But he also warned the military would not be silent in the face of violence.
After millions of people took to the street nearly two weeks ago to give Sisi an apparent mandate to fight violence and terrorism, the response by the Brotherhood was calls for more protests and a "day of rage", resulting in the burning of churches. The General took to the Egyptian military's Facebook page with this comment: "We will not stand by silently watching the destruction of the country and the people or the torching of the nation and the terrorizing of the citizens ... There is room for everyone in Egypt, and we are cautious about every drop of Egyptian blood." It remains to be seen if the hardline Islamists and their Muslim Brotherhood network are willing to integrate and co-exist with their fellow Egyptians; Christian or otherwise. I fear that the chaos and violence are far from over.

Leviticus 19:18 "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."

2 comments:

Once again, our know-nothing leftists in office are (deliberately) on the wrong side of history.The Muslim Brotherhood has been a radical, terrorist organization since its inception. Founded by Hassan al-Banna in the 30s, and popularized in the Muslim world by Said Qtub in the 60s, the Ikhwan Muslimin is the radical origin of Al Qaeda. Their sworn creed is, "Allah is our objective; the Quran is our law, the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations." Their philosophy is hardly compatible with our notion of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.The Ikhwan's militant front, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) was responsible for Anwar Sadat's assassination in Cairo in 1981. All radical members of the Ikhwan and EIJ were pursued and put down in Egypt. One of their most senior leaders was Ayman al-Zawahiri. After serving prison sentences, the more radical members like al-Zawahiri fled to Saudi Arabia...where they joined with radical salfists there. Zawahiri was Osama bin Laden's mentor, and together they founded Al Qaeda. Islamic Jihad formally merged into Al Qaeda in 1998, transformed Islamic terrorism into a global enterprise and spawned the 9/11 attacks on America.The Ikhwan Muslimin is NOT America's friend; their election is no more legitimate than the Nazi party's election to power in post-Weimar Germany. Yes, they filled a power vacuum via a vote, but their methodology was always, "One man, one vote, one time." Morsi's consolidation of power in Egypt was to ensure the Ikhwan would control everything and any sense of representative government in Egypt became a sham. There would be no more fair government.Now we have our President Obama, and honor-graduates of the "Jimmy Carter School of International Meddling" John McCain and Lindsey Graham completely in reverse of American interests. Hence, the complete lack of American credibility.The Bright Star military exercises just cancelled by the President were the foundation for the modern Egyptian Army -- heavily influenced by American military notions of Honor, Courage and Commitment through continuous education and operations with our military professionals. While not perfect, the Egyptian is at least a guardian for Rule of Law.Yes, the violence is dreadful and innocents are caught in the cross-fire. But the Ikhwan is not engaged in non-violent disobedience. They are thugs and killers.I don't know what game the CIA and State Department are engaged in, but helping Islamists gain and consolidate power in the Middle East (Libya, Tunisia, Syria and now Egypt) cannot end well. I am very happy the Egyptian military has stepped in and I wish them every success in restoring the Republic of Egypt.

Your knowledgable assessment fits very well with my spiritual discernment that the violence is generated by the MB in hopes of producing international sympathy as the underdogs, when in fact the Egyptian military is doing everything in its power to hang on to the thin thread of freedom for the people of Egypt. It is disturbing to me that our media will not report the truth about the atrocities being committed against the Egyptian people, and specifically Christians. And shame on our politicians who play games for the sake of what? It's not to protect the Egyptian people or the American taxpayers. In the end, there will be one victor in the Middle East, and I pray that it is those who value all human life, and who are willing to live in harmony with their fellow citizens. I think we know which side that is.

By Pam Kohler

About Me

Christian, Conservative, American woman. I am awake and aware of the state of my country, and am determined to stand up for what I believe in. I will boldly proclaim the Truth of my Faith, and share the journey that my Lord is taking me on. I am not afraid to challenge old OR new belief systems, always using the Holy Scripture as my guide. I am firmly committed to being "in the world", but not "of the world". There is a purpose for my life, and I am determined to fulfill it. Join me on this journey in this crazy world, and let's see where God takes us!